I've been out of touch this past week (I apologize)....however, I've been getting ready for the first east coast PSA trial of the 2007 season!!!

This weekend, I will be showing TJ. TJ is a "borrowed" dog. 10 years old. TJ was the first dog to get a PSA 2 title (in Feb 2002). He is also the only dog to title/get a leg every time he was shown (he was shown 4 times: 1st time he got his 1 Novice, 2nd time his 1 Open, 3rd time his first leg to the 2, 4th time the second leg to his 2).

He belongs to one of my closest friends (Dallas), and she has very graciously allowed me to "take him off the couch" (he is a pet that sleeps in her bed every night) and train him up for the 3's. We've been working together since October. I feel more comfortable with him than I've ever felt. But there are things he doesn't know that we might face in the 3's...unfortunately, I can try to prepare for everything...but it's all a surprise...the scenarios (both OB and Prot) will be different each day. It's luck of the draw: to have all the cards fall in place on a given day, and hope the scenarios are made up of components that he knows/understands (and that I know/understand).

But, we have a difficult road ahead of us: there are only 4 dogs in the country to have a level 3 title, and only 3 other dogs in the country competing in the 3's at this time. Why? Because it's very hard to get to that point...in the PSA level 1's, the obedience and control of the dog is tested. In the upper levels, it is all about the relationship between the handler and the dog, and the ability for them to communicate clearly. It is about the dog trusting the handler to make the right decisions at the right time. It takes a special dog to get a 3...I hope that TJ is one of those special dogs. I think, and I believe, he is...

This weekend will be the first time in a while that there is a dog on the east coast competing in the 3's (the last time was Jerry Bradshaw with Rocky and Ricardo).

"My first priority will be to reinstate the assault weapons ban PERMANENTLY as soon as I take office...I intend to work with Congress on a national no carry law, 1 gun a month purchase limits, and bans on all semi-automatic guns."-Barack Obama"When in doubt, whip it out."-Nuge

Okay....first day....please remember...I've never even got past the first level OB (I start but never finish it).

He needed 80 points to pass OB today. We got 66. Unfortunately, we screwed things up that we NEVER expected to screw up on (things he does perfectly in training). However, we got almost full points for our heeling....the judge said that even under really heavy agitation and distraction, he stayed in position, with very few extra commands from me.

Unfortunately, he tanked in the Protection part. He 0'd on 2 scenarios (out of 4). I think I was nervous, and we also had a little bit of a snafu before going on ...and on one scenario, I messed up...I should've asked the judge a question, and didn't...and lost points as a result of not knowing something he would've told me.

However, in PSA, the 2's and the 3's are done tournament style. Even without passing, you can come in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. Being the only competitor in the 3's, I still took home the first place trophy - pretty cool to have a 1st place trophy for the PSA Level 3!!!

We didn't do as well as I had hoped, but we know what to work on. We have plenty of pics, and video....I'll decide if I actually want to post the video of the pathetic parts...LOL...I'll post the pics as soon as I've had a chance to go through them....

Anyway, I'll give you all an update tomorrow (we'll be trialing again tomorrow). Keep the fingers crossed for us!!!!

I came out for the handler walk-through for obedience...let's put it this way, I was nearly in tears during the walk-through. Yesterday, it was all about obedience. Today was all about skill and trust. I will absolutely post video...but it came time for the critique, and I was waiting. They were all by the table huddled with the calculator...I knew that I either JUST passed or JUST failed....Rick comes out, goes through the points...I'm trying to do the math....he gets to the end, "She needed 80 points to pass obedience in the Level 3's, Katrina got an 80 today."

So, on to protection we go...The scenarios were long. We get through the first 3...passing....the fourth scenario involved me sending my dog to do a muzzle attack on a decoy. I was told to call him back, and take his muzzle off...then I had to send him downfield again, then do a call-off (tell him to bite, then call-off at a specified point)....Well, it was pouring...the wind was blowing....he's done hundreds of call offs...PERFECTLY...today, he couldn't hear me (the people on the sideline couldn't hear me)....he blew it...I got a zero on the exercise....Had we passed that scenario, we would've had our 1st leg on the 3 (you need 2 legs for the title)...

I'm not making excuses....and I'm not all that upset...today proved to me that we can do it!!! We have a month to work on some things we need to work on....we'll try again in Chicago in about a month.